I have almost forgotten all about the Jogja finale I promised weeks ago. My apologies and here we go..

On the final day of my guided travel to Jogja, we started with a visit to Kraton, the Sultan of Jogja's palace. Apparently he is the current governor of Jogja. I am not a big fan of museum. In fact I find museums to be really boring. Learned a bit of Jogja's governance but I would say you can just skip this if you are short of time.

Kraton is connected to Taman Sari Water Castle, which was used to be the Sultan's park. Weather was getting really hot by the time we reach there and we were just looking for shade!



We then proceed to Gua Cerme at the south of Jogja. It was not in the initial plan but as we had extra time before our final destination to Parangtritis, we decided to make use of that. The journey was very long and the cave is quite hidden.




We proceeded to Parangtritis Beach, one of the most famous and dangerous beach in Jogja. No swimming is allowed here, and believe or not - my tour guide refused to allow me to go near the sea or take off my jacket because I was wearing green. It is a belief that any person wearing green will be lured into the sea  by the Queen of South Sea!



I spent the fourth day in Jogja doing shopping. Yes, the entire day :P. It was a lovely place with good people around you. If you have a taste for archeology, greenery, sunsets and batik, then Jogja is for you.




Previous posts on Jogja:
Sambisari & Kalasan
Prambanan & Ratu Boko's Palace
Borobodur
Mendut, Ketep Pass & Gedong Songo

So I joined the 30s club today. Wasn't expecting much and the day started pretty blurry. It must be the good aura surrounding me that turned the entire day upside down - in a good way.

No camera flashes or expensive dining this time.
It was just me and people I love to be with.

I don't know how tomorrow will turn out to be.
But I know, I will cherish this day.

Thank you.

After spending considerable time at Borobodur, we continued the journey to Ketep Pass. On our way, we stopped by Candi Mendut, a 9th century Buddhist temple which is still being used for prayers. We were told that on Vesak Day, there will be a pilgrim from Borobodur to Mendut. Both were built around the same time and there is another temple, Pawon which we didn't get to visit.

We, then continued the journey to Ketep Pass or Ketep Hill. The journey was like going to a far away land. LOL! We passed by villages, plantations and rice fields on our way there. No candis here, if you are wondering. But you will get a beautiful view of Mt Merapi from here, provided the weather is good.



It was a quick visit though. We stopped by for lunch before continuing a 2 1/2 hour journey to Gedong Songo. It was not in the initial plan but as we could not visit Dieng Plateu due to unforeseen circumstances, we decided to give Gedong Songo a try. Here, you will find 9 small temples in a sprawling hilly area. It is quite impossible for one to walk the entire journey, so we decided to rent horses instead. It turned out to be an experience I personally will never forget.




Gedong Songo marks the end of Day 2. It was a tiring day that started at 3am! Day 3 was the final day of our guided tour and I will be posting some pics taken on Day 3 in the Jogja finale.